Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-04-15
EIFIl1.

Christmas that my devoted humble add
mnation of women in general changed in
one moment into love, devoted. humble
and unutterable. for woman-or rather,
girl-in particular.
L met her at a party at our vicar =.
whittier | had escorted my mother and
sister. These vicarage parties are yearly
affairs. to which the prominent, long es-
tablished members of DR.. Ridgway's
flock are invited; and they border on the
uncomfortable. | arrived at little past
with my mother and sister, who had
both been dressed and aching to be gone
for three-quarters of an hour. There
were the usual signs of Christmas fes-
tivity inside the vicarage: "A Peaceful
Christina" was inscribed over the draw
ing room door, in red paper letters. run
ming all down at one corner; bunch of
green hanging from the hail lamp:
welcome, in holly leaves, on white
ground, lower down the hail. "a Happy
New Year in letters that began very
large and ended good deal smaller, run
ming up beside the staircase.
Miss Ridgway greeted us kindly. but as
from great height. and supplied us with
refreshment. Passing across the hall we
We're met by the younger Miss Ridgway,
Miss Lotte
Il can't think how it is you come to
our dreadful parties, said Miss Lottie to
me, in low, confidential tones, as she
accompanied us into the drawing room.
'They are perfectly unbearable, and
dreadfuily dull. | cant imagine what
papa means by being so stupid
The evening dragged on for a quarter
of an hour on so. Miss Ridgway played
fugue. the like of which for difficulty
and ugliEcss was never heard; Miss Lot
tie sang ballad, Il Only Ask Thy Heart
and Home. and shy young man, of
apopletic appearance, put his life in inn
minent peril over the high notes in Gou-
mods Nazareth.
was standing near group of doomed
creatures, who were fitting their aching
eyes to stereoscopes, and talking in whis-
pers of the views thus obtained, when the
drawing room door was thrown open and
the last visitors arrived-a delicate, re-
fined looking. middle aged lady; entering
behind her came the embodiment of all
my vague dreams of the beautiful, a
bright creature of fancy in human form,
vision. a-pshaw! l beg pardon Of the
practical-behind her entered a tall, fair
girl of eighteen, whose delicate skin and
short, curly, golden hair were most be-
comingly set off by plain, black velvet
gown.
Here's Mrs. Reid at last'' said Lot
tie Ridgway, who was still beside me.
They new parishioners, the Reds.
We asked the professor, too; but his wife
says he never goes to parties-awful old
mani l suppose you think Ellie Reid
pretty? and SO she is, or would be if she
were not SO shy and quiet. l do like a
girl to have little sparkle!'
But l had no longer any ears for Miss
Lottie's condolences; l had no longer any
eyes for the sparkle which she priced
SO highly in herself, and the lack of
which she deplored in Others Ny heart
leapt out from behind my dress shirt
front, flew across the vicarage drawing
room and went into Ellie Reds keeping
forever.
l got an introduction to Mrs. Reid: l
got an introduction to her lovely daugh-
ter. Armed with large book of Italian
views, | sat down beside the latter. No
longer was the evening dull and slow; no
longer were books of views a mockery
and an insult. We looked at the views
together. | explained them to her. She
glanced at me out of her shy, pansy blue
eyes; she smiled and showed the loyeliest
OF teeth; she said the views We're very
fine and most interesting" She also said:
"Thank you very much for showing them
to me, as reluctantly closed the volume
i don't know that she said much more
than that. When no one was speaking
to her she sat quite still, her mittened
hands folded-so refreshingly calm and
quiet! SO fair and innocent-in her simple
black velvet frock. with white frills at the
throat and elbows-so different from the
ordinary drawing room bellies, who must
needs always be biting their lips to show
how pretty and red they are and flash
ing and winking their eyes to show how
large and bright they are; ogling. grin
nmg, struggling, grimacing, and, in
their ridiculous consciousness of beauty,
going almost as near spelling that beauty
as even their rivals could wish
Such was my first meeting with Ellie.
In the weeks that followed | set all my
ingenuity TO work-and ingenuity urged
on by love develops to a wonderful ex-
tent-to improve my acquaintance with
the Reid family. ! haunted the neigh
borhood of their house. On one or two
occasions | had the good fortune to en-
counter Mrs. Reid and her daughter in
their own square, and my slavish devo-
ton on these meetings was at length re-
warded by the elder lady's telling me in
languidly agreeable tones that she was
''at home" every Thursday evening. l
thought then, in my joy, that surely here
was royal road to speedy and success
full courtship, But after attending as
many of Mrs. Reds Thursday evenings
as ] dared, l found myself no further on
the road to happiness; Ellie was SO quiet,
30 shy, so reserved! / never got more
than half dozen words with her the
whole evening.
The only other member of the family
was a prodigy boy of 10, who attended
one of the city schools, and whose gilt
and calf bound prizes glittered on every
shelf and table in the home drawing